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06/12/2017 - news from Kalbarri SES

Kalbarri SES December 2016 report

Operations attended in December 2016

Nil

Emergency Services Cadets visit:

On November 30th, 34 Emergency Services Cadets from Bridgetown along with 5 instructors attended the Kalbarri SES unit as part of their annual camp in Kalbarri. Local SES members used their skills and expertise in rope rescue operations to give the cadets an opportunity to use rope rescue equipment to descend the unit’s training tower. The cadets enjoyed the activity and some showed natural skill while others overcame their fears to complete the descent. The cadets were also given an overview of the other equipment used by SES units and the importance of volunteering within their community.

Christmas Wind-Up:

To celebrate the end of another year busy with operations, training and maintenance, Kalbarri SES held a Christmas Wind-Up party at the unit on December 11th. A good time was had by all. The occasion was also used to present National Medals for Service to unit members Loni BICKFORD, Graham ROBERTS-PEARSON and Noel VISSER. District Officer Tim DALWOOD presented an Award for Merit to Loni BICKFORD and Graham ROBERTS-PEARSON to acknowledge their dedicated service to the unit over the past 12 months. Appreciation plaques were presented to local business T Bone and Sons Butchers and Gilgai Tavern for their assistance in fund raising activities and to Wagoe Chalets for providing their facilities for training events. The unit truly appreciates the assistance provided by these businesses.

While the Wind-Up celebrates the years end and the Christmas-New Year holiday period, the SES unit continues to be ready to respond to any need that arises over the holiday period.

Training:

Field Equipment course;Members attended a course held at Denham to learn the use of various communications equipment including VHF, UHF and HF radio equipment, setting up and operation radio repeater stations and using communications field equipment. Skills learned will enable the unit to expand communications networks over a large area and in areas where reception in normally poor or non existent.

Flood Boat Training:Kalbarri SES maintains an aluminium flood rescue boat for use in flood situations where it can be utilised to access stranded persons, ferry people and supplies and conduct searches of inland waterways. This boat has a shallow draught and can be used in the upper reaches of the Murchison River Estuary. On December 17th members conducted a regular training and maintenance exercise putting the flood boat through it’s paces in both open and shallow areas of the estuary.

Fortnightly training:Regular training is an important component of all SES units. Due to the diverse situations that volunteers attend and the wide range of equipment used members need to be up to date with information and skills.

Training includes topics such as life support, navigation, rescue techniques, ropes and knots, cliff rescue, storm damage, flood operations, flood boats, searches, communications and numerous other tasks. Volunteers also learn to use and maintain a large range of equipment from vehicles and boats to chainsaws and ropes.

Kalbarri SES holds training at Unit headquarters every 2nd Monday from 1845hrs to 2100hrs. The training is interactive with volunteers responding to various scenarios and developing and practising various responses.